We are delighted to announce that three PACE Boccia athletes have been selected onto the England Talent Pathway (ETP).

The ETP is run by Boccia England and includes the England squad, as well as the Lions and Talent squads.

Reshad Saraj has been selected for England. He is the first PACE Boccia athlete to achieve this having collected a number of gold, silver and bronze medals at regional level.

Reshad’s breakthrough season was in 2014 where he finished 2nd in the nationals after loosing 5-3 in a thrilling final with Paralympic Gold Medallist, Dan Bentley. He qualified for the GB Championships, where he finished in 7th place.

In 2015, Reshad won regional gold in London. He followed up with another strong performance in the nationals, claiming a silver medal after loosing a close final 4-1 against GB athlete, William Hipwell. Reshad has also qualified for the GB Championships 2015 which will be held later in the year.

Reshad claims gold at the London regionals

Alex Dukes has been selected for the England Lions. The PACE Boccia captain has secured his place on the pathway for the third year running after another string of impressive performances this season.

Alex built on his phenomenal achievements in 2013-14, where he finished 3rd at National level and qualified for the GB Championships, featuring the top athletes from across Great Britain. Alex put in a fantastic performance at the GB Championships, making it to the final where he lost to the former paralympic gold medallist and world #1, David Smith.

Alex claims BC1 silver at the GB Championships

After leading the PACE Panthers to gold and winning regional gold in 2014-15, Alex finished the season strongly and won silver at the nationals. He has qualified for the GB Championships 2015 which will be held later this year.

The PACE Panthers win Teams and Pairs 2014!!

Jamie Keat has been selected for the England Talent Squad. He is the youngest PACE athlete to be selected on the England Talent Pathway. At 10 years old, Jamie has an abundance of talent and commitment to the sport. He demonstrated this by finishing 3rd in the London regionals 2015, claiming his first medal.

Jamie claims BC3 Bronze

Jamie’s reward was qualification for the Nationals, featuring the top athletes in the country. This didn’t phase our young talent as he took one of the most experienced athletes in the competition, England international, Celia Turk. Jamie was unfortunate to loose but responded well and came back to register a 9-2 win later on in the competition.

Congratulations to Reshad, Alex and Jamie!